二次世界大戰以來北越華人社會之變貌

Post-WWII Demographic Changes of Hoa People in North Vietnam

由越南歷次的全國人口統計資料可知，自1979年以降，越北華人人口流動變化極不尋常。一方面是越北華人數量與越北總人口之變遷並不符合，一方面是越北華人自1979年2009年間三次同時段之成長率，與非北部地區越南華人成長率之變化實在大相逕庭，且在近20年似有拉開之趨勢。本文認為，越北或全越華人人口成長率之劇烈變化，不能排除華族與儂族、艾族、山由等文化相通族裔之邊界流動有關。華人族裔性之固執反映在其文化邊界之嚴實，不輕易與越族或他族通婚的歷史經驗足以說明此種固執。因此可以想見，華人捐棄其華人族裔，必有非常之現實考量與不可抗力左右，越南政治長年不利於華人的氛圍正是得以左右華人做此考量之不可抗力。越南華人不只遊走於國家間的邊界，亦可能遊走於民族間的邊界。

From the demographic statistics of Vietnam, Hoa people, or ethnic Chinese (Người Hoa) in Vietnam, are found to have undergone unusual population growth rate, or the rate of natural increase (RNI) since 1979. The Hoa population in North Vietnam has failed to grow with the general population of the region. Nor did its statistic growth curves match those of the Hoa population outside North Vietnam between 1979 and 2009; in fact, the gap has been widening during the last two decades.
This article associates the dramatic changes of Hoa populations in North Vietnam and the general Vietnam with the interactions on the ethnic boundaries between Hoa people and such tribes as Nung, Ngái, and Sán Dìu, which share certain cultural features with the Hoa. In view of their notorious reluctance to integrate with other ethnic groups, Hoa people must have suffered tremendous pressure to blend in and disappear from the demographic map. Unfavorable political circumstances are most likely to have exerted such force. In other words, Hoa people have not only strayed on national borders that separate China and Vietnam, but they might have also roamed ethnic frontiers to survive political persecution.